Category: Jewelry

The Amazing Takahashi Bird Jewelry

A unique genre among vintage jewelry collectors is what’s known as the Takahashi bird items. I hesitate to classify these as ‘costume jewelry’ because they truly are an art form. The backstory of the Takahashi birds is just as fascinating as the brooches themselves. The following is a brief summary. Yoneguma and Kiyoka Takahashi were…

The Chocolate Lover’s Jewelry Box: Quartz, Tourmaline, Garnets, and More

This fifth and final post in my Chocolate Lover’s Jewelry Box series will take a look at some of the most and least common ‘chocolate-gems’ goodies. Chocolate Quartz® Let’s begin with the most common ‘chocolate’ stone and yes, it’s another descriptive that has been trademarked by LeVian: Chocolate Quartz® In reality, it’s the same stone…

Vintage ‘Joy’ Jewelry: Who, When, and Where?

The world of vintage costume jewelry often contains mysteries, as my own quest for the elusive 1930s Mystery Jewelry Maker’s identity can attest. One such mystery was recently shared with me by Colleen Newell, who is on a similar quest to uncover the story behind pieces marked ‘Joy.’ Both of us have been trying to…

The Chocolate Lover’s Jewelry Box: Chocolate Pearls

This next resident of our hypothetical ‘chocolate’ jewelry box is best approached with more than a teaspoonful of caveat emptor caution: chocolate pearls. The most important thing to remember about pearls that are advertised or popularly regarded as “chocolate” is that 99.9% of them have been dyed or bleached in order to achieve that color.…